Physical and sexual activity during pregnancy and near delivery

Prior research indicates that pregnant women rarely engage in strenuous physical activity during pregnancy and significantly reduce their sexual activity towards the end of pregnancy. We sought to determine if this was true among patients in a modern urban academic medical center.

This was a descriptive questionnaire-based survey of 425 primiparous women in the immediate postpartum period at one institution. Subjects were asked to describe their physical and sexual activity during the third trimester, during the 2 weeks prior to delivery, and during the 2 days prior to delivery.

Most subjects spent at least 5 hours on their feet per day, even in the 2 days before delivery. During the third trimester, 60% of subjects reported performing strenuous physical activity (working out), and 62% reported having sexual intercourse. From 2 weeks before labor until 2 days before labor, 49% of subjects reported performing strenuous physical activity (working out), and 40% reported having sexual intercourse. During the 2 days before labor, 33% of subjects reported performing strenuous physical activity, and 17% reported having sexual intercourse.

In our population, physical and sexual activity during pregnancy is more common than previously reported, even in the last 2 days before labor.